To enhance its ability to offer rich experiences in the arts and humanities, Marquette began in 1955 to accept works of art into a collection of its own. Without a permanent home for the collection, the majority of the collection was hung in Memorial Library and in a number of buildings across campus; the University Committee on the Fine Arts demonstrated the need for a home to house the collection through a variety of feasibility studies beginning in the mid-1970s. The $2.6 million building project was made possible through the fundraising efforts of the Marquette Women’s Council. The basic rectangular shape of the exterior of the structure, designed by the late O’Neil Ford with cooperating architect David Kahler, is broken up with gables that orient the building to Gesu Church and to surrounding campus buildings. These gables function as skylights, allowing for some natural light within the building and also create interesting sculptural effects for the interior of the building.

Named For

The Haggerty Museum is dedicated to Marquette alumnus Patrick E. Haggerty, co-founder of Texas Instruments, and his wife Beatrice Menne Haggerty.
Mr. Haggerty, a 1936 graduate of the College of Engineering, received the Engineering Distinguished Alumnus and All-University Alumnus of the Year Awards in 1966 and 1972 respectively, and was honored with an honorary degree in 1960. Mrs. Haggerty, a graduate of Mount Mary College, was a member of the Marquette University Women’s Council. The Haggertys, generous benefactors for many years, demonstrated their enthusiasm for the construction of an art museum by donating the Bible series of 105 hand-colored etchings by Marc Chagall in June 1980.

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